Border frame for seat bottom springs



Oct. 3, 1944. Y BN -rz 2,359,451

BORDER FRAME FOR SEAT BOTTOM SPRINGS Filed June 29 1942 w INVENT 0R. Maurice labmtz Patented Oct. 3, 1944 SPRING Maurice Stubnitz, Adrian, Mich, assignor to Stubnitz-Greene Spring Corporation, Adrian. Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application June 29, 1942, Serial No. 448,908

5 Claims.

This invention relates to seat spring cushions and upholstery and has for its object a seat spring structure provided with a bottom frame of a cross-section which is roughly an inverted T but which is formed by bending a single strip of metal to form an upstanding Web and a loop forming at the outside a toe and at the inside a bead or heel. The trimming material or the skirt of the upholstering is pulled down over the toe of the loop and turned over the bead or heel and then clipped in place by a spring U-clip.

Various forms of channel strips, angle bars, 8- strips, J -section strips in combinations with various fastening devices, clips, tacks, etc. have been proposed and used for fastening the skirt of the upholstering to the seat spring. An example of one form is shown in the Greene Patent No. 2,060,465. Another common form has a J-cross-section with the upholstering cloth Wrapped around the bottom of the J which has a bowl-shaped lower portion having a turned-in bead. The cloth is turned into the channel and fastened thereto by pressing over the turned-in bead U-shaped spring clips at intervals along the frame. This latter construction has been satisfactory in spring cushion assembly, but it has been subject to certain limitations and particularly it has been found diflicult to press the U-clips down on the inturned bead at the corners of the cushion frame and at points where the channel-shaped cross bars connect with the lower border frame.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a simpler frame construction, a stronger frame construction and a border frame and trimming assembly which better affords clearance for fastening the clips in place at the corners and at the cross bars. Furthermore, there is no tendency of the edges of the U-clips to pierce the trim material as will be more fully pointed out.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary cross-section of a spring cushion and assembled upholstery embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the corner of the cushion looking upwardly from the bottom.

a forwardly facing toe portion I and a rearwardly facing heel portion 8. This border frame is formed by taking a strip of relatively heavy sheet metal strip stock and rolling it or drawing it through dies to form a loop at the bottom with a toe portion 1 and a heel portion 8. The turnedup portion 9 laps the vertical web III of the strip. These two parts can be welded together, but it is not necessary and I do not fasten these parts together normally.

The cross bars have extended ends which are looped as at H over the vertical web portion III of the cross bar. The upholstering skirt I is drawn down over the toe portion 1 of the bar and then Wrapped around the bead or heel 8. Then a spring clip l'2 is forced, with a tool, over the turned-over trim material and the bead. This fastens the same in place.

The virtue of this construction is that this bar can be easily drawn or rolled to the shape required and forms a very strong bar with a minimum amount of material. At the same time the toe portion 1 at the front forms a nicely rounded protruding portion that keeps the skirt portion spaced from the vertical portion of the bar and the looped-over ends of the cross bar so that the material will not chafe against these looped-over ends and be injured. The clips can be pushed on to the turned-over trim material and the bead 8 at the rear from below or at least horizontally which is quite advantageous over the construction to which I have referred where the beads have to be pushed down on the turnedin bead of a J-frame. This latter arrangement makes it nearly impossible to set the clips adjacent the ends of the cross bars as at the point designated with an asterisk and the numeral l3. But my clips l2 can be very easily set and snapped in place under the ends of the cross bars (see the clip l2 in Fig. 2). It also is easier to place the clips at the corners, as at the point designated with an X, than is the case with the J-frame construction.

Another advantage over the J-frame construction and some of the other fastening arrangements is that the trim cloth does not bunch up as in an open channel so that one carelessly and rapidly working with the sharp edged clips will not punch a hole through the material.

In the modified form-of construction shown in Fig. 3 a depression I4 is made in the top of the head or heel 8 and this forms a slight dip which serves a little better to lock the clip onto the frame bar. But I do not find this is necessary.

What I claim is:

1. A border frame and trim assembly, comprising a strip of metal having an upright portion and a lower portion bent into a loop with a rear bead having a depression in its upper portion, in combination with the skirt of the trimming and a U-clip for passing laterally and outwardly over the edge of the trim material and snapping into the depression of said bead.

2. A border frame for spring seat cushions and trim assembly, comprising a strip of metal having an upright portion and a lower portion bent into a loop with a rear bead portion and a front toe portion, in combination with the skirt of the trimming wrapped over the loop and bead and a U-clip for fastening the edge of the trim material to the outside of said bead, said toe portion forming a spacer for keeping the downward- 1y directed trimming spaced from the upright portion of the bar and any of its appendages.

3. A seat cushion spring and trim assembly, comprising a lower bar of roughly inverted T- section formed by an upright portion and a tubular lower portion forming a head or rearwardly projecting heel and a forwardly projecting toe and a trim skirt wrapped around said tubular portion and bead and spring U-clips for fastening the edge of the trim material over said bead.

4. A seat cushion spring and trim assembly, comprising a lower bar of roughly inverted T- section formed by an upright portion and a tubular lower portion forming a bead or rearwardly projecting heel and an overlapping upwardly turned portion doubling onto the upright portion of the bar and a trim skirt wrapped around said tubular portion and bead and spring U-clips for fastening the edge of the trim material over said bead.

5. A seat cushion spring and trim assembly comprising a lower bar formed of sheet metal and provided with an upstanding web and a tubular lower portion, the tubular lower portion including an inwardly extending bead of elongated U-section with the U lying on its side, a trim skirt Wrapped around the said tubular portion and bead and spring U-clips in which the U is turned over to a position corresponding to the U-section of the bead and the clips being passed over the bead and the trim material by being pressed into engagement by a movement substantially perpendicular to the upstanding Web to thereby provide a fastening for th trim material which is concealed from the front of the seat cushion.

MAURICE STUBNI'I'Z. 

